KCON â€˜12

There's a moment, K-Pop choreographer Aimee Lee Lucas says, when the outsider realizes that the thing they've loved and obsessed over in private for years is suddenly cool. Suddenly that thing that only you loved is cool. Now everyone is interested.

For Hallyu, or Korean Wave, the term applied to the pop culture tsunami flowing from South Korea to the United States and around the world, that moment is now.

"I feel like fans were embarrassed at one point – it was their guilty pleasure," says Lucas, who has worked with Korean bands such as Big Bang and 2NE1. "It's really funny now because you bring up Psy and everybody comes out of the closet."

Psy, of course, is the slightly chubby Korean pop star who seemingly overnight unleashed the biggest viral hit of the year, with his "Gangnam Style" single inspiring people all around the world to sing its irresistibly catchy chorus and attempt its ridiculous-looking horse-y dance.

Even before Psy's breakout, Western pop stars had started looking east with artists such as Lady Gaga and Nicki Minaj finding inspiration in the pop fashions and musicians such as will.i.am of the Black Eyed Peas, rapper Swizz Beatz and DJ Diplo collaborating with Korean bands.

Now a bit of that wave washes into Orange County on Saturday, Oct. 13, with the arrival of KCON, the first-ever convention dedicated to "All Things Hallyu" – every kind of Korean pop culture – at Verizon Wireless Amphitheater in Irvine.

The day-long event features panels from K-pop experts such as Lucas, who will teach fans a few K-pop choreography moves and fashion expert David Yi, who will offer tips on how to get that K-pop look on your own. At least five K-pop bands will play concerts, including EXO-M, Nu'est and 4Minute, a girl group that includes Hyun-a, Psy's main sexy lady in the "Gangnam" video.

Add to that contests, workshops, Korean food trucks and more and you've got what Ted Kim, acting president and CEO of Mnet, which is putting on the event, hopes will be the first of many such conventions. His company started by distributing Korean movies, and then soap operas in the United States, eventually expanding to music, which has taken off rapidly in recent years.

Ask Kim or anyone else in the K-pop world why they think the music has found popularity here and the first thing you hear is that technology – YouTube, Facebook, Twitter most of all – has helped spread it fan to fan, cutting out the traditional media gatekeepers.

"It's just crazy how social media is so accessible," says Yi, a fashion writer and stylist and now the host of "The Stitch," Mnet's new web series on K-pop fashion. "Whether you live in London or in Sao Paulo you have access to it."

"With the Internet now, everybody has access," Kim says. "It's not about people who are curating for them, people are able to sit down and find pockets of entertainment for themselves. And when something really pops you get something like Psy happening."

There is also a thirst for the brightness and positive feelings of the boy bands and girl groups that make up the majority of the K-pop pioneers making inroads in America.

"A lot of times I think it's more playful and colorful," says Danny Im, an early K-pop idol from the hip-hop boy band 1TYM, whose members were stars in Korea in the late '90s through the mid-2000s.

It also fits a thirst for a certain type of pop music that the United States isn't creating as much of anymore, adds Im, who hosts "Danny From LA," a web talk show on Mnet that often features him in conversation with K-pop stars visiting Los Angeles.

"There's a big boom of boy bands, like New Kids On The Block, and then they go away," he says. "And then you get 'N Sync and Backstreet Boys, and then they go away. Each generation needs their own boy bands. I think that's why Justin Bieber blew up so much.

"People who wanted more had to outsource it and K-pop was the perfect source for it because there are so many boy bands and girl bands from which you could choose," Im says.

K-pop fans gathered in May at the Anaheim Convention for SM Town Meetup, a chance to gather and celebrate the pop culture they love. MNET
VIXX is a K-pop boy band that was formed out of a TV singing competition. They'll perform on Saturday at KCON at Verizon Amphitheater in Irvine. JELLYFISH ENTERTAINMENT
B.A.P. stands for Best Absolute Perfect and is the name of a K-pop hip-hop boy band. At home in South Korea they've starred in a TV show titled "Ta-dah, It's B.A.P." On Saturday, they'll perform at KCON at Verizon Amphitheater. TS ENTERTAINMENT
Danny Im is the host of Mnet's web talk show, "Danny From LA." Before that the Los Angeles native was part of an earlier K-pop boy band called 1TYM. He'll be hosting the concert part of KCON at Verizon Amphitheater on Saturday. MNET
Fashion expert David Yi is host of Mnet's new web show "The Stitch," which focuses on K-pop fashions. MNET
Eat Your Kimchi is an online site that specializes in K-pop and other aspects of Korean pop culture. It's run and hosted by Simon and Martina Stawski, seen here, who will be part of KCON on Saturday at Verizon Amphitheater. EAT YOUR KIMCHI
K-pop fans gathered in May at the Anaheim Convention for SM Town Meetup, a chance to gather and celebrate the pop culture they love. MNET
K-pop fans gathered in May at the Anaheim Convention for SM Town Meetup, a chance to gather and celebrate the pop culture they love. MNET
K-pop fans gathered in May at the Anaheim Convention for SM Town Meetup, a chance to gather and celebrate the pop culture they love. MNET
K-pop fans gathered in May at the Anaheim Convention for SM Town Meetup, a chance to gather and celebrate the pop culture they love. MNET
Fashion expert David Yi is host of Mnet's new web show "The Stitch," which focuses on K-pop fashions. MNET
Danny Im is the host of Mnet's web talk show, "Danny From LA." Before that the Los Angeles native was part of an earlier K-pop boy band called 1TYM. He'll be hosting the concert part of KCON at Verizon Amphitheater on Saturday. MNET

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